Krampus! Bio: Chad Wise

Chad Wise (Chet) is 2 for 3 in playing the mysterious guy that knows what’s really going on in Strangeloop Christmas plays, having previously spouted vague warnings & sported one-eyed looks of dread as Drosselmeyer in 2013’s Nutcracker Nightmare. He also appeared as the Police Chief in 2014’s Christmas Clue-seau and has directed for the occasional Loopshop and worn a toga for the occasional Fight Night entry. Chad founded and ran New Millennium Theatre Company for 12 years bringing the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Musical, MIYAGI! A Karate Kid Musical and Silent Night of the Living Dead to the Chicago stage. When not performing, Chad splits his time between doing the director’s dishes (not a euphemism) and keeping track of all the LEGOs his 6-year-old Boy Wonder can build. Love to Carlos.

French With Me: Violent Femmes

A scene from the 2011 production of Violent Femmes.

This week, we'll be previewing the plays that make up French With Me: A Classic Affaire. First up is Violent Femmes.

Some women will go to any length to get a man's attention: buy a sexy new dress, practice their yoga moves in the hallway at work, kidnap the girl he's been dating-dating for a year and strap a bunch of dynamite to the chair she's tied up in...but even that doesn't always work.  Dating in the world of superheroes is never an easy thing. Sometimes all you can do is buy a new tin of boot wax and move on.

Originally staged in 2011, Violent Femmes is one of the "classic" pieces making a return appearance in French With Me this year. It stars Maria Burnham as Exile, Juliana Brecher as Purity Jones, Cristiana Barbatelli as Shining Star and Carrie Campana as Tassel. The play was written by Joe Janes and directed by Chad Wise.

The piece is part of French With Me: A Classic Affaire. The gala event begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the The Charnel House in Logan Square, 3421 W Fullerton Ave., with a reception and silent auction. The performances begin at 8 p.m. with live music from Hollywood's golden age and dessert to follow.

Tickets are $25 and available at the door or in advance at Brown Paper Tickets.

Stalkers and Superheroines and Siberia. Oh My! (a.k.a. Loopshop 7: Therise of bite-sized theater!)

To get y'all ready for Loopshop 7 — which happens at the end of July at Chemically Imbalanced Theatre, — we'll be sharing some short teasers about all six of our featured plays here and on Facebook. (Like us if you haven't already.)

Performances for Loopshop 7 will be at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 28, and Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at Chemically Imbalanced Theatre, 1422 West Irving Park Road, Chicago. Tickets for the show are $10 and are available at the door or online at Brown Paper Tickets.

First up is Aqua Woman.

Living at home with your mother as a grown woman is hard enough, but when you're having trouble finding a paying gig as a superheroine and your mom is pressuring you to joint the League of Extradinary Evil and your perfect sister is dashing all over town kicking butt as Dr. Fabulous's sidekick...sigh, there are just some days when nothing seems to go right.

Written by Megan Mackie and directed by Chad Wise, Aqua Woman stars Jean E. Burr as Rhiannon and Shawna Tucker as Emma.

Loopshop is Chicago-based Strangeloop Theatre's annual short play and new works series. This year's production features a mix of short, original plays and scenes from full scripts in development — all from local playwrights. 

Get ready for Loopshop 2014!

Strangeloop Theatre kicks off its 7th Season with Loopshop 2014, the company's annual workshop series, featuring six new works from up-and-coming playwrights, each performed both nights of this two-night-only run.

Enjoy a great mix of performances blended from short plays and scenes from full scripts in development. Loopshop highlights new works ranging from the ridiculous to the deadly serious. Join us as we delve into these pieces and become a part of the play development process!

Featured plays:

• "iLove" by Maria Burnham (Directed by Jessica Kent)
• "Kidney Katie" by Keith Gatchel (Directed by Holly Robison)
• "The Safety of Lies" by Kyle Martin (Directed by Tim Lee)
• "Aqua Woman" by Megan Mackie (Directed by Chad Wise)
• "Higher Up" by B. Walker Sampson (Directed by Zack Florent)
• "Spake" by David L. Williams (Directed by John Morrison)

Performances for Loopshop will be at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 28 & Tuesday, July 29, 2014 at Chemically Imbalanced Comedy Theatre, 1422 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL. Tickets for the show are $10 and are available at the door or at Brown Paper Tickets.